Orlano's week of adventure with Yooralla’s school holiday programs

The July school holidays were non-stop for school holiday program participant Orlano, who was out and about around Melbourne, socialising, practicing new skills and experiencing new things through Yooralla’s school holiday program.

Orlano, who is also a customer who accessing Yooralla Community Inclusion School Holiday services in the western region of Melbourne, had a jam-packed week of adventures, heading to the Melbourne Zoo, DreamCity at Docklands, the Jurassic World Lego exhibition at Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre (MCEC) and the Disney: The Magic of Animation exhibition at ACMI.

To start his week of adventure, Orlano navigated public transport and ventured out to Melbourne Zoo with the support of a Yooralla Disability Support Worker (DSW).

There he saw “lots of animals, giraffes, hippos and lions.” He was also happy to see the lions walking around the enclosure, rather than just sleeping for a change!

The fun didn’t stop there, with Orlano heading to DreamCity, a high-tech ‘edutainement’ destination where attendees can operate flight simulators, fight virtual fires, perform surgery and produce podcasts, the next day.

The standout activity for Orlano was the firefighter simulation, where he experienced fighting a fire through augmented reality and learnt about identifying how hot certain objects are through thermal imaging.

Next up in his week of adventure, Orlano headed to the Jurassic World Lego exhibition at MCEC where he experienced large scale dinosaurs, props, scenes and activities made from over six million Lego bricks.

“I also bought a dinosaur suit, which is really cool!” Orlano said.

Orlano was supported after the exhibition to attend his favourite local arcade until it was time to return home.

The school holidays were rounded out on Friday, with Orlano, joined by Emma – a customer at Yooralla’s St Albans Hub, for the Disney exhibition at ACMI.

The pair experienced the magic of animation, including sketches from many different Disney films, including some of the original Mickey Mouse movies.

“I remember watching Disney movies on Channel 7 with my sister,” Emma said.

While some of the original Disney movies were well-received, it was the newer animated works that got the best reception from Emma and Orlano.

“Big Hero 6 is my favourite!” said Emma, who one day would love to travel to Japan – where the movie was set.

“I like Big Hero 6 too, but my favourite is Frozen – Part 2,” said Orlano.

While Emma and Orlano were getting out and about in the community, they were also developing their incidental life skills.

Emma practiced her public transport skills, catching the train from her home to Sunshine station, where she met Orlano and their Disability Support Worker, before continuing on their way to Flinders St Station.

After the exhibition, both Orlano and Emma practiced their ordering skills, purchasing food and drink that they enjoyed in the sunshine down by the Yarra.

It was a fun-filled week for Orlano who agreed he was definitely “having a good school holidays”.

Yooralla offers fun and exciting School Holiday Programs across all regions of Melbourne, including excursions which offer children and young people the opportunity to experience such activities as Science works, Museum, Zoo, train rides, mini golf, cinema, Melbourne Show, picnics, indoor play centres and much more. We offer some in-Hub activities which are an opportunity to meet new people and experience Reptile Encounters, Karaoke and Dance exhibits.

School Holiday Programs offer an opportunity to socialise, experience new activities, enhance or learn new skills such as accessing public, time management and building independence and confidence in the community.

To find out more about Yooralla’s school holiday or Recreation programs, or to find out what is on offer for the next school holidays, contact Yooralla Connect on 03 9666 4500 or yoorallaconnect@yooralla.com.au.